Allied Health Professions National Delivery Plan 2012-2015 - Progress Report

Background

Underpinned by the 2020 Vision and the Quality Ambitions, the National Delivery Plan for Allied Health Professions (AHPs) in Scotland was commissioned by the Minister for Public Health and launched during 2012.

Supporting the Integration Agenda, this policy document brings together AHPs from across health and social care to demonstrate their capacity and capability to deliver significant service transformation and improve outcomes for people and the communities across Scotland. There are twenty seven actions within the National Delivery Plan (NDP) that fall into six key categories;

1) Professional Leadership to Drive Innovation

2) Reshaping Care & Enabling Independent Living

3) Improving Health & Wellbeing

4) Supporting Early Years

5) Maximising Workforce Engagement & Development

6) Driving Improvement & Delivering Sustainable Quality

The AHP NDP is at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0038/00387145.pdf.

A key action from the NDP states that:

"NHS boards and local authorities will develop local implementation plans identifying how they intend to deliver and evidence the outcomes of the National Delivery Plan for the Allied Health Professions in Scotland."

In response to this national requirement, each board area across Scotland has developed a Local Delivery Plan (LDP), outlining how they will each align the NDP to local priorities and deliver against the twenty seven actions within the NDP. The AHP Associate Directors are accountable for the delivery, spread and sustainability of the NDP requirements across their health and social care areas. Further information on this local activity can be obtained by contacting the appropriate AHP Associate Director of the respective health and social care area. (Appendix 1)

Furthermore other national work streams have been established under the leadership of the Associate Directors from each Health and Social Care Board and supported by appointed National Leads for these identified priority areas:

• Children & Young People
• Podiatric Surgery
• Unscheduled care/flexible working
• Falls
• Radiography
• E-health & informatics
• Dementia
• Mental health
• MSK

The AHP NDP has provided an excellent opportunity for AHPs across health, social care and the third sector to work together. This has facilitated leadership development and partnership working across all AHP staff groups, improving the quality of care delivered to our service users. This has maximised the overall contribution that AHPs make as clinical leaders and agents of change, whilst working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for the population of Scotland. In many instances this has resulted in maximising AHP engagement, contribution and leadership within existing multidisciplinary work / projects rather than beginning AHP specific work.